A New Family Member

[shartom]

Having bought five Epi's over the last two years, I finally broke down and purchased a Gibson Les Paul Studio.

It is a nice instrument. I have played it on two gigs over the past week and am pleased with it.

It came with a couple of manufacturing issues. I had to clean buffing compount off of some of the upper fretts. The B string was hanging up at the nut.

My 5 Epiphones had no defects whatsoever.

The neck is a little chunky. I was able to adapt to it in a short while.

In GP magazine this month, they compared a Custom Shop LP Standard tp a PRS SC245. They described how both guitars would sustain when picked lightly, giving times of 17 and 15 seconds. I tried it with the studio and it seemed to sustain forever, well not quite that long. Very nice.

The sound is characteristic of Gibson Pickups. It uses a 490R and 498T pickups. I would consider replacing the pickups on my Epi Ultra with these pickups, although I probably won't as each guitar has its own sound.

It would be nice to try the Epi LP Studio and compare them both.

I have to put any further purchases on hold as I have run out of parcjing spaces.

Cheers

[JayGLongBeach]

Hey Shartom!

 

HNGD!

 

even if it's not an Epi- it's still cool!

How about some pics???

 

Congrats and enjoy!

[JefferySmith]

Your experience is exactly why I would like Epiphone to make an Elitist Les Paul Studio Premium Plus (in root beer or black cherry). The attention to detail and finish on the Epiphones Elitists exceeds what the Gibson factory is letting out. Sorry, it's blasphemy, but it seems very much like what has happened in the car and electronics industry. If Japan can make guitars that well, someone in Japan should erect their own company and beat Gibson at its own game. If Gibson is going to let sub-par instruments out of its factory, it should focus only on the > $4,000 models, and push the rest of the production to the Epiphone Elitist factory in Japan. I think the problem now is that there are too many Gibson models and too few Elitist models. Okay, we'll give up the nitro finish. I would rather a guitar that is perfect in every other way.

[shartom]

Yes Jeffery, I totally agree. The GP comparison of the LP Standard at $8000 and change as compared to the PRS at $3500 says it all.

The Gibson Studio as I said is a nice guitar, but I also feel Epiphone could produce one with the same sound but more attention to the build of the instrument.

I am still and always be a big Epi fan..LP Special, Sheraton, Joe Pass, LP Ultra and 56 Reissue.

I also firmly believe that Epiphone is keeping Gibson afloat. They have been bailed out a number of times. I wish I could find the article in Time magazine that I read about a year ago about Gibson's problems and the double their price solution to the problem. $8000 guitars,.........I don't think so.

I hope more folks will contribute to this dialogue.

Thanks

[sexygibson]

I have owned Gibsons and Epiphones over the years and some of the best sounding and best playing of the bunch were the Epis.

My main guitar now is my Epi Elitist SG. I took it to rehearsal yesterday and one of my band mates remarked on how good the guitar sounded.

I love Gibsons but their pricing has gotten out of hand. From now on I will probably stick to buying used.

[Dave]

I actually prefer the poly finish on the epi to the nitro finish on my Gibby studio. Both are screaming, high sustain guitars with great presence and low end punch and growl. I really don't see a tonal difference in the finishes and the Gibby studio sometimes gets a little flatness in its appearance if you don't use polish periodically. The Epi is permanently glossy and polish turns it into a diamond.

 

I prefer the slim 60's neck on the Epi LP over the Gibby 59 neck, although both are fast and comfortable feeling.

[carverman]

Not to take the excitement out of the original poster's sustain information or to start

a controversy..but...

I find it hard to understand about how the 15-17 second sustain (from GP magazine)

was measured.

Was it plugged in or unplugged? The acoustic properties of a solid body, even

a Gibson Les Paul Standard can't be that fantastic to give you that kind of note

sustains without some electronic assistance.

 

I have a Epi LP Custom..with well the asian mystery wood body, which more

than likely is a form of Philipine mahogany..and plucking a open e string acoustically

gives me about a 4-5 second sustain, before the note's amplitude dies away to

the point that I can barely hear it. Plugged in, it's a bit better 6-7 seconds plucking

the string lightly and watching the second hand of a wrist watch.

My Emp II ,in spite of the fact it has a sound box isn't much better.

[carverman]

The attention to detail and finish on the Epiphones Elitists exceeds what the Gibson factory is letting out. Sorry' date=' it's blasphemy, but it seems very much like what has happened in the car and electronics industry. If Japan can make guitars that well, someone in Japan should erect their own company and beat Gibson at its own game. ...snip!..., it should focus only on the > $4,000 models, and push the rest of the production to the Epiphone Elitist factory in Japan. I think the problem now is that there are too many Gibson models and too few Elitist models. Okay, we'll give up the nitro finish. I would rather a guitar that is perfect in every other way.[/quote']

 

Japan could make an Elitist that blows away everybody, but they won't do it.. possibly due to potential

lawsuits.

Takamine, which I have a couple of, make a classic that has finish and tone

equivalent to the very best out there. They also tried to copy (in the 80s) a dreadnought

that resulted in a lawsuit with Martin...and there have been others as well.

 

Everybody and their uncle..(well not our Uncle Al..I hope), make LP clones..the market

is saturated with them...but musicians are funny lot..they would rather play G*bsons, because

that is the brand that everyone is familiar with.